Senior Researcher from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Dr Tim Moore gave a talk on the subject “The role and nature of relationships and how this relates to authentic engagement”, during the Parents and Friends Federation WA (PFFWA) State Conference held on Saturday 26 May at St Brigid’s College, Lesmurdie. Photo: PFFWA.
By Amanda Murthy
A recent talk presented by Senior Researcher from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Dr Tim Moore on the subject “The role and nature of relationships and how this relates to authentic engagement” suggests that a child’s development depends on authentic, positive engagements and relationships developed between parents and professionals.
Dr Moore gave his talk in conjunction with the Parents and Friends Federation WA (PFFWA) State Conference held on Saturday 26 May at St Brigid’s College, Lesmurdie.
The conference this year was themed ‘We’re all in this together’ and was attended by some 70 delegates comprising of parents and educators from around Western Australia.
Dr Moore started by explaining the importance of professional and parent engagement and the effects it has on a child’s development.
“Professionals need to develop a good relationship with parent’s vice-versa to help them with personal or parenting problems, to support their children’s learning, help parents address common concerns regarding services and environments, and to co-design, co-manage and co-evaluate services.”
The PFFWA conference started with a dinner and award ceremony on Friday 25 May, followed by an all-day conference. Acting Executive Director Debra Sayce, Catholic Education, PFFWA President Nat Giancono, Executive Director PFFWA Siobhan Allen and Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, The Most Reverent Don Sproxton DD attended the events. Photo: PFFWA.
He went on to explain the science behind a human brain, and its’ impact on the brain, confirming that “all human services are relational services, dependant to a much greater extent than other forms of service on the quality of relationships between practitioner and parent.”
Other areas that were explored included the psychotherapy in human behaviours and the importance of having good services in marginalised and vulnerable families.
Dr Moore also spoke about how relationships have an effect on other relationships.
“The flow-on effect can be seen in the relationships between early childhood professionals and parents of young children – We model for parents how we relate to their young children by the way we relate to them.
“People learn how to be with others by experiencing how others are with them- This is how one’s views and feelings of relationships are formed and how they may be modified.
“Therefore, how parents are with their babies (warm, sensitive, responsive, consistent, available) is as important as what they do (feed, change, soothe, protect and teach) – Similarly, how professionals are with parents (respectful, attentive, consistent, available) is as important as what they do (inform, support, guide, refer, counsel),” said Dr Moore.
Some of the values needed in an effective relationship, said Dr Moore include assertiveness, emotional openness, understanding one’s feelings, empowerment and strength building, respect, clear communication, building coherent narratives, and knowing how to manage communication breakdowns.
The PFFWA conference started with a dinner and award ceremony on Friday 25 May, followed by an all-day conference. Acting Executive Director Debra Sayce, Catholic Education, PFFWA President Nat Giancono, Executive Director PFFWA Siobhan Allen and Auxiliary Bishop of Perth, The Most Reverent Don Sproxton DD attended the events. Photo: PFFWA.
Dr Moore also shared some of the challenges parents and professionals may face when trying to help a parent deal with situations involving their children, giving them tips and solutions on how to overcome the challenges.
“We need to know how to stay in the moment and manage distracting thoughts and accept the fact that there are some problems we can’t fix, parents need to consistently build on their parent capabilities, and as educators you can learn how to identify if parents are engaging effectively by getting feedback from them so that you can build a genuine partnership in sharing information and power.
“It is also important that we know how to manage our emotions and values by knowing how to react to a situation we may not necessarily be in favour of, and not let it compromise our response to the person or situation,” he cited.
Dr Moore concluded by saying that all relationships engagements need to be approached purposively, not mindlessly or casually.
“We have to trust in the process – have faith that the strategies used will be productive, at the same time we have to trust that the person has the capabilities to support their children’s development and learning effectively.”